Mine sowing, releasing, and moving device.



A. FERNANDEZ. MINE SOWING, RELEASING, AND MOVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-20,1916.

Patented Jul 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET] Swuawtoz A. FERNANDEZ.

MINE SOWING,'RELEASING, AND MOVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-20,1916.

1,23%,67Q; Patented July 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET '2.

gmwmtoz @(yfmme/ GJFWMM ALPHONSE FERNANDEZ, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MINE SOWING, RELEASING, AND MOVING DEVICE.

Application fi1ed September 20, 1916.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALPHONSE FERNANDEZ, a subject of the King of Spain, residing at the city of lVashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine Sowing, Releasing, and Moving Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invent-ion has for its object to provide a device to be used on submarines for sowing or planting mines for moving floating mines of the enemy, and for cutting the cables of such mines to release them if found expedient.

With the foregoing general object in view, the invention resides in certain novel features' of construction and in unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of this application and in which:

Figure .l is a vertical section of a portion of a submarine showing the invention in its normal position preparatory to setting a floating mine;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing the mine forced outwardly from the compartment in which it is normally carried and in readiness to be released;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the cable gripping jaws in open position;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. i but illustrating the cable cutting saw in use; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the submarine showing a side elevation of the improved device used for shifting or transplanting a floating mine.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 has reference to the wall or shell of a submarine, the latter preferably being of a rather small size in order that it may operate to advantage in rather shallow water such as that in harbors, the shell 1 being provided with an external compartment 2 having a pair of outwardly swinging doors 3 which are normally closed to prevent the entrance of water into the compartment, a second door 4.- being provided in the top of the compartment 2 while another door 4. .is disposedin one side of the aforesaid Specification of Letters ?atent.

Patented July 1.0, 1917.

Serial no. 121,251.

compartment to permit persons to enter from the interior of the vessel. Any appropriate means may be provided for opening the doors 3 from the vessel but screws 5 are preferably threaded through the inner wall of the compartment 2 and are universally connected to links 6 which are in turn pivoted to said doors.

Mounted slidably and rotatably in a bearing 7 carried by the inner wall of the compartment 2 is a tubular supporting member 8 whose inner end is preferably equipped with a hand wheel 9 while hinged to the outer end of said member 8 are two or more jaws 10 adapted to grip mine cables, links 11 being pivoted to the inner ends of jaws 10 at points spaced from the pivots thereof and having their inner ends connected with a rod 12 which extends through the member 8, an operating screw 13 being swiveled to the inner end of said rod 12. The screw 13 is threaded through the closed inner end of the supporting member 8 and is provided with a crank, hand wheel or the like 14 by means of which it may be turned so as to shift the rod 12 and links 11 to open and close the aws 10 as occasion may demand.

A bar 15 projects slidably through the rear end of tube 8 into the latter and at its rear end is preferably onset and provided with a handle 16 as seen in Fig. 5, said bar carrying bearings 17 in which a reciprocating bar 18 is mounted, a saw 19 being hinged to the front end of said bar 18 and being yieldably forced away from the same by means of one or more springs 20, the saw 19 being capable of projection into one of the jaws 1.0 when bar 15 is forced outwardly (see Fig. 5). It will thus be evident that a cable gripped between the two jaws may be readily out when bar 18 is reciprocated to operate the saw.

For reciprocating the bar 18 any suitable operating means is carried by the rear end of bar 15, this means being shown in the present embodiment of the invention as con-- sisting of a gear 21 driven from a hand crank a disk 23 rotated by the gear 21,

and a pitman 24- connected eccentrically to said disk and pivoted to the inner end of the bar 18. The crank 22 is located in close proximity to the handle 16 so that the operator may grasp the latter with one hand and operate said crank with the other.

Any appropriate mine clamp :25 is carried by the door 1 and in the present showing is equipped with a screw 26 by means of which it may be released from the interior of the vessel, said clamp being adapted to hold therein a floating mine M when the ship is to be used for planting such mines, the cable C of said mine being then gripped between the jaws 10 as shown in Fig. 1, the latter being new confined in the compartment 2 with the doors 3 thereof closed. The mine anchor A is also located in the compartment '2 and is held against shifting by means of a hook 27. lVhen the submarine has reached the point at which the mine is to be planted, the screws 5 are operated to open the doors 3, the (:lltl'l'll) .25 is released by means of the screw 26 and the hook 27 is shifted to inoperative position to free the anchor A. The entire supporting member 8 is now forced outwardly so as to dispose the mine clear of the ship as shown in Fig. 2 whereupon the handle 1st is operated to open the jaws 10, thus permitting the mine to rise and allowing it to pull its cable and anchor from the con'ipartment 2, said anchor then dropping to the bed of the body of water to hold the mine submerged the proper distance below the surface.

After planting the mine in the manner just described, all parts are returned to their normal positions with the exception of the clamp 25, the latter remaining open while the door 4- is opened, whereupon another mine may be secured in said clamp, the water having been in the mean time drained from the compartment 2 so that a person may enter the same to properly position the cable C in the jaws 10 and to engage the hook 27 with the anchor A. This mine may be planted in the manner above described and all, succeeding operations will be the same.

The device may be used to great advantage in releasing floating mines which an enemy has planted in her own harbors to prevent vessels without authorized pilots from entering. hen this is to be done, the submarine will locate the cables of the mines and will grip the same by means of the jaws 10 or other grapple which may be employed in lieu thereof. The saw 19 is then projected and operated as indicated in Fig. 5 with the result that the cable is cut to release the mine. i

. The invention may also be employed to great advantage for shifting the positions of floating mines arranged in a harbor as above mentioned since the cables of such mines may be held in the grapple while the supporting member 8 is rotated by means of the wheel 9 or otherwise, the result being that the cable wound around the two jaws so that the anchor of the mine is released, the mine itself being at the same time drawn downwardly a greater distance below the surface. The submarine may now travel for instance, to the center of the previously unmined channel or course and when at this point may unwind the cable to reset the mine. A number of mines transplanted in this manner will prevent ships from traveling in a harbor on the course which was originally unmined.. v

Any appropriate means may be provided in connection with the construction so far described for permitting persons on the interior of the submarine to locate the mines and for the purpose of permitting the operator of the grapple to easily grip the cables. A tube 30 preferably extends through the inner end of the shaft-like supporting member 8 and is provided with one or more suit able lenses 31. (see Fig.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be obvious that I have provided an eflective instrument of naval warfare regardless of the simple features of construction used. It is to be understood, however, that the present description and drawings are for illustrative purposes only and that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous changes may be resorted to.

I claim:

'1. The combination with a submarine, of a grapple applied and released from the interior thereof, and means for rotating said grapple on a horizontal axis.

2. The combination with a submarine, of a rotary member extending through the side thereof, a grapple carried by the outer end of said member, and means for operating said grapple from the inner end of said member.

3. The combination with a submarine, of a shaft-like supporting member extending slidably through the wall thereof, a grapple carried by the outer end of said member, and means for operating said grapple from the inner end of said member.

4. The con'ibination with a submarine, of a shaft-like member extending slidably and rotatably through the wall thereof, a grapple on the outer end of said member, and means for operating said grap tile'from the inner end of said member.

5. The combination with a submarine, of a shaft-like member extending through the side thereof, a grapple carried by the outer end of said member for gripping a mine cable, a saw for cutting the cable while held by the g'apple, means for operating the grapple from the inner end of the aforesaid member, and other means for operating said saw.

6. The combination with a submarine, of a shaft-like member extending through the side thereof, a grapple on the outer end of said member for gripping amine cable, a projectable andretrtctible saw for cutting thecable while held by the grapple, means for projecting and retracting said saw and for operating the same, and means for operating the grapple.

7 In combination, a submarine having an external compartment, and a grapple operable from the interior of the vessel for forcing a mine from the compartment and then releasing it.

8. In combination, a submarine having an external compartment, a mine projecting member projecting slidably from the interior of the vessel into said compartment, a grapple on the outer end of said member for gripping a part of the mine, and means for operating the grapple.

9. The combination with a submarine, of a windlass on the exterior thereof, and means operable from the interior of the vessel for coupling a mine cable to said Windlass.

10. The combination with a submarine, of a Windlass on the exterior thereof, a grapple carried by said Windlass for coupling a mine cable thereto, and means operable from the interior of the vessel for operating said grapple.

11. The combination with a submarine, of a shaft-like member projecting from the side thereof, grapple jaws hinged to the outer end of said member, and means for closing and opening said jaws from the interior of the Vessel.

12. The combination with a submarine, of a shaft-like member projecting from the side thereof, grapple jaws hinged to the outer end of said member, and a jaw operating member extending through said shaftlike member to the interior of the vessel.

13. The combination with a submarine, of a shaftdike member extending from the side thereof and having a hollow grapple jaw, another grapple jaw coactiug with the first, means for o1i erating said last named jaw from the interior of the vessel, and a saw operable in said hollow jaw.

let. The combination with a submarine, of a shaft-like member extending from the side thereof and having a hollow graj'iple jaw, another grapple jaw courting with the lirst, means for operating the last named jaw from the interior of the Vessel, a saw normally housed in the aforesaid member, and means for projecting said saw into the hollow jaw from the interior of the 've. el.

15. The combination with a submarine, of a shaftdike member extending therefrom and having a grapple on its outer end, a bar slidable through said member and carrying a saw normally confined therein, and a reciprocating bar carried by the other bar for operating said saw.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALPHUNSE FERNANDEZ. lVitnesses L. HILTON, J. A. GnmseAUnn.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

